Enclosures for protecting devices are typically selected based on certification that an enclosure meets certain standards for protection of its contents. For a fully rugged enclosure housing sensitive electronic equipment, such as a laptop computer for example, the United States defense industry requires military standard 810G certification for extreme temperature, shock, vibration, water, humidity, salt fog, and other environmental specifications, as well as ingress protection (IP) rating certification for dust and water resistance.
Enclosures are typically machined or molded to target a specific application. Such manufacturing methods can be very costly. For example, magnesium is a material appreciated for a relative high strength-to-weight ratio; however, magnesium is not easily machined due to its proclivity to burn, necessitating use of a mold. Molds for forming enclosures using liquid magnesium can easily cost in the millions of dollars. With limited product runs and ever changing sizes of components and applications, per-unit costs for such enclosures are high relative to consumer-grade enclosures that use more modest materials with less demanding performance specifications.
The relatively high per-unit cost associated with fully and semi-rugged enclosures typically limit the customer base for such enclosures to industries where the need for certification outweighs concerns about cost. However, a need exists among sectors of the consumer market for rugged, standard certified enclosures that are more competitive in price with consumer-grade enclosures than existing available fully and semi-rugged enclosures. For example, academics performing field work and adventure hobbyists represent just two of many groups that can benefit from less expensive, yet fully and semi-rugged enclosures for sensitive devices, such as laptops, cameras, and test equipment.